Football Ghanaians crashed the Canada judiciary website as Thomas Partey lost his visa appeal, published June 16, 2026, at 10:42 PM by Olamide Abe. Ghana's government challenged Canada's decision to deny Thomas Partey a visa ahead of the World Cup. Thousands of supporters monitored the verdict, causing Canada's judiciary website to become unavailable. The Black Stars midfielder remains unavailable for Ghana's opening match against Panama.
Thomas Partey's World Cup Hopes Dashed
Thomas Partey's hopes of featuring for Ghana at the 2026 FIFA World Cup suffered another setback after his appeal against Canada's refusal to grant him a visa failed. The former Arsenal midfielder had already been ruled out of the Black Stars' Group L opener against Panama in Toronto, but Ghana's government launched a legal challenge in a last-ditch attempt to overturn the decision.
The case was heard in Ottawa on Tuesday evening, with authorities in Accra seeking temporary permission for Partey to enter Canada exclusively for Ghana's World Cup matches. Officials also asked the court to direct Canadian immigration authorities to permit the 33-year-old to submit a fresh application. However, according to Reuters, the attempt ended unsuccessfully, leaving Ghana without one of their most experienced players for the tournament in Canada.
Ghana Takes Canada to Court
The legal battle stems from Canadian authorities' decision to deny Partey entry due to his ongoing criminal proceedings in the United Kingdom. The midfielder has pleaded not guilty to seven counts of rape and one count of sexual assault linked to allegations involving four women between 2020 and 2022. His trial is expected to begin next year.
While the United States granted him entry, Canadian immigration officials maintained that their laws allow foreign nationals to be deemed inadmissible even without a conviction. A spokesperson for Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada explained to Now Toronto: "When there are reasonable grounds to believe an act that would trigger inadmissibility has been committed by an applicant, they can be deemed inadmissible to Canada." The Ghanaian government reacted angrily to the decision, describing it as "high-handed and extremely unfair."
Partey Loses Court Appeal
According to The New York Times, Thomas Partey will miss Ghana's opening match against Panama after the Federal Court of Canada rejected his appeal against the decision to deny him entry into the country. The report stated that the former Arsenal midfielder will play no role in Wednesday's Group L encounter after his attempt to overturn the ban was unsuccessful.
During Tuesday's hearing, Partey's lawyer, Mackeda Bramwell, acknowledged that the midfielder had not disclosed the criminal charges he is facing in the materials submitted before the judge. In the motion filed before the court, Bramwell argued that the Black Stars midfielder would "suffer serious and largely irremediable prejudice, including loss of a unique professional opportunity, the inability to represent his country at the tournament, and reputational harm flowing from a refusal grounded in untested allegations in respect of which he is presumed innocent."
She further maintained that the Ghana international had not been afforded due process and had suffered "irreversible prejudice" because the decision on his visa application was made two days before Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada's original June 12 deadline. Bramwell also contended that although the authorities initially indicated June 12 as the deadline, a subsequent letter requesting additional information regarding his ongoing charges imposed an earlier deadline of June 1.
Following the Federal Court's ruling, Partey's hopes of featuring in Ghana's opening fixture have now been extinguished, with the midfielder expected to remain with the Black Stars camp in the United States. The case had generated widespread interest among Ghanaians both at home and abroad, with supporters hoping for a dramatic reversal before the opening match. The controversy has dominated headlines around the Black Stars camp, overshadowing preparations for their first game of the competition.
Judiciary Website Crashes Amid Huge Interest
As anticipation reached fever pitch, supporters turned their attention to Canada's judiciary website, where details of the case had been listed under: Thomas Teye Partey v. Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, case number IMM-12882-26. Thousands of football fans attempted to follow developments online, with interest peaking around the time the verdict was expected. Legit.ng monitored the proceedings and observed that the website became inaccessible, displaying an error message which read: "Service Unavailable. The server is temporarily unable to service your request due to maintenance downtime or capacity problems. Please try again later." The outage triggered reactions across social media, with many Ghanaian fans expressing frustration and disappointment over the situation.
Major Blow for Ghana
The absence of Partey represents a huge setback for coach Carlos Queiroz ahead of the tournament. The experienced midfielder has been a central figure for the Black Stars over the years and was expected to play a key role as Ghana seek to progress from a group containing England, Croatia and Panama. Without the former Arsenal player, Ghana will now rely on other members of the squad to step up. The Black Stars are making their fifth appearance at the World Cup and had hoped to begin the campaign with all their key stars available. Instead, attention has shifted from football to legal proceedings, leaving supporters disappointed just hours before kick-off.
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that Ghana's players received a rousing reception upon arriving in Toronto on Tuesday. Hundreds of supporters gathered outside the team's hotel, turning the atmosphere into a carnival as fans sang and celebrated ahead of the Black Stars' opening encounter against Panama.
